One Final Note

I woke up today to my conscience.

Thinking back on the recent issue which was all the rage on my blog, I realized I was acting unprofessionally in handling it. Again, I want to apologize to the victim of my outburst for my unpleasant tone. I'm a little worried that she was traumatized by my accusations, even if they were true.

I should have just shut up in the first place, swallow the whole thing and move on, like every other crafter/artist/designer does. Or let the photos do the talking instead of putting my anger into writing. >.<

Anyway, I've removed the two posts to prevent more people from joining in the fun of hurling insults at someone just for the sake of it.

To all readers with good intentions of reminding me the importance of a sense of humanity, I extend my thanks for making me realize my immature display of anger.

Also, to old-timers who know my works best, thank you for your incessant support on this issue.

It was certainly a lesson learnt.

Kiss and Make Up - Happy Valentine's Day!

After thinking over the copying issue, I have to admit that I was probably wrong to have publicly lashed out at someone, even though from every evidence gathered up till today, I'm very sure I did not make a wrong accusation.

The major problem in the realm of crafting is that anyone can incorporate anyone else's idea into their work and call it inspiration. Crafters, artists and designers, freelance or professional, have no legal protection against reproduction of their works, unless these are patented.

All is well when a person stumbles across your creations and decides to make something similar to give to a friend as a birthday present. While making the item, he/she will most likely want to put something into it that he/she can call his/her own idea, one that distinctly shows his/her own unique style. This is what we call personal imagination with a dash of creativity, which is what creating handmade items is all about.

But to make unmistakable replicas of the original creator's work and sell it off for one's own benefit is, I believe, too much for anyone to swallow.

Ok, I'm not trying to start grumbling again.

The purpose of this post is to apologise to LG for my harsh tone. However, I still stand firm on the belief that the accusation was not without justified reasons. I have not taken down the initial post, but replaced the photos with original ones form her shop. I see now that splashing 'copycat' in bold red letters is just too harsh.

*Sigh* I think I'm being too nice. T-T I'm even promoting the darn things with their original photos. *gags*

I shall take this episode as a lesson learnt. As WryAndGinger put it;

" If someone is copying your ideas, glance back at them over your shoulder and whisper "good luck keeping up sucker!" and just get on with making your cool and original shit. "

And that is how I celebrated Valentine's Day.

{ My cool and original shit that I created last weekend together with the Happy Sundae Treat }

I actually wanted to leave it till I get more supplies in the mail so that I can list it on Etsy as a complete necklace. But since things call for a little sweetness, I decided to list it anyway.

{ Ice Creamy Candy Lover's Dream }

Let's all have a little ice cream and blow them bitterness away. I sure did mine. :)

Let the world be your inspiration but only uniqueness comes from you.

Sparkly Bejewelled Happy Sundae Treat Locket Necklace

The weekend was long. So I whipped out my polymer clay, working materials and tools and started a day of fun!

{ Sparkly Bejewelled Happy Sundae Treat Locket Necklace }

I made some tiny sweets and assembled them onto a large brass locket I bought on Etsy. It was a happy process, mixing different colours, shaping the sweets, cutting out the hearts and attaching the swarovski crystals. The locket has got two plastic flower cabochons too.

A few days before Chinese New Year, I went to Macy's on Petaling Street to have a look at their geniune swarovski crystal flat-backs. I got 1.9mm ones selling for RM28 per packet (of how many I don't know) and 2.5~2.7mm ones for RM38 per packet. I thought putting some really sparkly blings on my polymer clay creations. :P

{ Yummy treat to last you a lifetime }

I have it up for sale on Etsy. Check it out here.

A Day Out at The Curve

Been in KL for almost 3 years, and today's the first time I visited The Curve.

I travelled all the way to Kelana Jaya and took a taxi there. There's free shuttle service to Ikano Power Center, which is just opposite the building, but I was impatient to get there.

It was almost 12 noon when I arrived, but the place seemed deserted. There's distinctly less people compared to shopping malls in the KL area. I headed straight to my destination, a Japanese 'dollar-shop' called Daiso.

Everything in Daiso is priced at RM5. At first thought, it feels like the shopping basket can be filled to the heart's content without worrying about burning a hole in the pocket. But RM5 can quickly add to tens and hundreds if self-control is not exerted. Here are some useful tips to take note of if you plan to visit Daiso.

I wasn't actually too impressed with the selection of items available, although there was an entire aisle dedicated to all forms of rattan/bamboo baskets. I expected to find more kitchen and baking utensils, but instead there were shelves upon shelves of plastic containers. I read blog entries saying that this local Daiso stocks quite a variety of bento accessories, yet I can't even find a single egg-mold. :( Not that I wanted, much less needed one anyway. :P

Despite dissaftisfaction, I couldn't help but spend RM40 on 8 items. 8 really small items. -_-"

{ Haul from Daiso }

After that, I headed over to Ikea. Almost got lost there, what with the confusing layout and the sea of people that wasn't there in The Curve. Couldn't find the entrance initially. Hehe... So embarassing. :P After Ikea, I walked a bit in Ikano, where I found these cute cupcake replicas in the Brands Outlet.

{ Cute aren't they? }

Contented with the day's walk, I dropped by Cupcake Chic at The Curve to get me some cupcakes.

I was pleasantly surprised by the texture of the cupcakes. They're not at all dense, as how Wondermilk's cupcakes were. Instead, they're light yet flavourful. There was quite a selection of flavours, but at RM4.50 per cake, I appeased my curiosity with only two.

{ Green tea something + Naughty-n-Nice }

{ Fluffly insides }

A lot of people think the frosting is too sweet. To me, that is just the right dose of sugar for a sweet-tooth. Cakes are supposed to be sweet after all. :P

That aside, I'd like to send out kawaii wishes to all you readers who sent supporting comments about the issue of Kawaii~neh!'s copycat. It means a lot to me. :) I sort of got over it right after the entry was posted. :P I'm not going to be defeated by some shoddy copies of my work. Watch out for more original Kawaii~neh! creations in the days to come!

Stocked with Crafty Supplies after CNY

Eheh... I'm an irresponsible blogger. Yeah, pat my back. >.< My family and I embraced the annual routine which is a major part in celebrating the Lunar New Year - visiting relatives and friends.

About a week before CNY (Chinese New Year), we *as in a group of friends* were discussing about ang-pows. For your information, ang-pows are what the Chinese call 'red packets', and these usually contain cash notes. One of the girls voiced out that she felt excited at the thought CNY nearing, because of the ang-pows. Almost all the other girls agreed. I somewhat disagreed and said that since we're reaching our 23rd year of life, shouldn't we feel a little embarrassed for receiving money from other people? I'm not trying to sound like a super-independent 'power' woman who rake in millions from her estate management giant or something. I just have this thought - what did I do to deserve that?

Have you thought of it that way? Or putting it another way round, would you give RM10 or US$5 to each of your colleague's children, whom you only see once a year? It may be a form of courtesy and a sign of good-will to each other. But then again, visiting and catching up with the host and his family is a far more sincere gesture.

Just a thought there....

A day before I was due to fly back home, I got a call from campus. There were four packages waiting to be collected. I skipped like a little girl with pink candy floss all over to the Students Affairs Department.

{ Big Bang Vol. 1 first album + Rainism *Rain* }

Got my CDs from eBay. The seller's from Korea! ♥wooo~!♥ Big Bang's albums are never plain. This one was a large vinyl layered black box that contained two shiny rainbow memory-card-look-alikes of two members. I got TOP and Seung Ri. I want GD!!!!! *sobs*

I'm so glad I bought Rain's newest album. Love all the songs!!!

Next 3 packages contained purchases from Etsy.

{ Chaings and findings from Lululalaland }

Lululalaland probably offers the lowest price and best shipping rates among Etsy jewelry-making suppliers. Everything was neatly packed and I even received a free pack full of seed beads!

{ Findings from doubleangeldesign }

This seller has got good reputation and a lot of positive feedbacks. Two thumbs-up for her for a super fast delivery all the way from Canada! Her items are very reasonably priced too!

{ Cabochons from mksupplies }

Cabochons of identical designs and colours can be found at cheaper prices in other Etsy shops, but I still recommend mksupplies for it's professional outlook and vast item variety.

I have ideas for these, but I guess they'll have to wait till I have time to spare. T-T